Finally after 40 weeks and 3 days my baby decided she was ready to meet the world - however she did not make it easy!
My waters broke at 6am on Sunday morning (19th October) - I had been planning a homebirth all along but when I saw the meconium stained water I knew that was out of the window.
So I phoned the delivery suite mentally preparing myself for a hospital stay. I was called in and after the in laws arrived to take the kids off our hands we made our way there.
was instantly reassured by our lovely midwife Rachel she monitored the baby and me and was happy - she promised to keep the docs away and administered an enema (my first) to 'get things going' so after the enema had ahem... got to work - I went for a bath to see if I could get contractions going. I started to get irregular contractions straight away. after an internal establishing I was 2cm dilated I started pacing out my depressing little room and bouncing on the birthing ball. Rachel remained encouraging and I hoped to avoid being induced. As her shift came to an end at 2pm and we were still not getting enough progress I dd lose hope of avoiding induction but the replacement mw's were also lovely and kept to the policy of hands off and no docs! Which was good.
By 4pm with still being 2-3 cm dilated I knew that induction was the next step - so I started on a drip at 4.40pm and contractions soon kicked in at 5 min apart and getting very strong. I had no further internal exams after that but was restricted in movement by the drip still managed to stay upright and even on all 4's at one stage. But ended up delivering sitting bolt upright knees akimbo!
I was in what felt like a constant contraction by 6.30pm but then it was strange I had no idea whether I was ready to deliver or hours away and the midwives looked uncertain as well - I was clearly in pain but I was so dizzy with G&A I was making little sense! (I did avoid other drugs but sucked on the gas like it was going out of fashion!!). So just as they were going to do an internal I started screaming like a banshee and saying 'I can't do it!' and words to that effect - 5 pushes and she slithered out! Much to everyones surprise
Straight on to me for skin to skin Polly greeted the world at 7.02pm with barely a whimper she was a bit purple but soon pinked up and was breastfeeding like a pro within 10 mins - placenta came out shortly after and I suddenly felt much better
Polly is lovely - a healthy 8lb 7oz and very calm and content on the whole - we are all looking forward to getting to know her.
I am ok with my hospital experience - I wanted to be at home but the staff made such an effort to allow me the time and space I wanted to get on with birthing with as little intervention as possible that it would be churlish of me to complain.